A new chapter has begun for Teesside’s creative economy with the launch of Engine Room, a purpose-built production hub designed to support film, digital and creative businesses to grow, collaborate and export their work far beyond the region.
Based in the Tees Valley, Engine Room has been created to strengthen the area’s creative infrastructure, offering space, support and specialist facilities for production companies, freelancers and creative teams working across screen, digital media and content creation.
At its core, the project is about ambition. Engine Room has been set up to help Teesside-based creatives not only produce high-quality work locally, but also compete nationally and internationally. By combining physical production space with business support and industry expertise, the hub aims to remove some of the long-standing barriers faced by creative businesses outside London and the South East.
The launch reflects a growing confidence in the Tees Valley’s creative sector, which has quietly expanded in recent years across film, TV, digital content, animation and post-production. Engine Room is designed to act as a focal point for that growth, bringing together talent, technology and opportunity under one roof.
Alongside studio and production facilities, the hub will support businesses looking to scale, collaborate and reach new markets. This includes helping companies develop export-ready projects, connect with commissioners and partners, and build sustainable creative enterprises rooted in the region.
The initiative has been backed by Tees Valley Combined Authority, with the aim of strengthening the local economy by investing in high-value, future-facing industries. Creative production is increasingly recognised as a driver of skilled jobs, inward investment and regional identity, and Engine Room is intended to play a key role in that long-term strategy.
For local creatives, the impact could be significant. Access to professional-grade facilities and tailored support means more projects can be made in Teesside, by Teesside-based teams, without the need to relocate elsewhere. It also opens the door for collaboration between emerging talent and established production companies, helping skills and experience circulate within the local ecosystem.
There is also a wider cultural benefit. By enabling more stories to be developed and produced locally, Engine Room supports the idea that Teesside’s voices, places and perspectives belong on national and international screens. It reinforces the message that world-class creative work can come from anywhere, not just traditional industry centres.
As Engine Room begins operations, expectations are high. If successful, it could become a cornerstone of the Tees Valley’s creative economy, helping transform local talent into global output and ensuring that the region’s creative future is built, powered and exported from right here at home.
